Movie Accent Expert Breaks Down 31 Actors Playing Real People | WIRED

[@allisonmeer3425]

natalie portman as jackie kennedy was straight up eerie. she's insanely talented

[@Tinymoezzy]

She didn't look like her, but how she carried herself and her inflections were spot on.

[@MidnightMemes88]

I feel like natalie is one of those actresses u ask for a role and she delivers the goods

[@hexyko4850]

She is a good actress The soundtrack to Jackie is also phenomenal I've been a huge fan of the composer since 2012

[@jaykapolka6111]

I think that accent was absolutely atrocious. Her accent was unique but it definitely wasn't THAT lol. She went too far with it.

[@leibun]

@@jaykapolka6111 Um ... were you listening when they played the lines for lines?It was SPOT ON

[@TaylorRaeBooks]

I think Erik has convinced me that acting is much harder than I ever thought.

[@luzjackson9419]

"Erik is still a dialect coach who can't stop talking about linguistics" 😂 off to a great start

[@jay_binger]

Well of course it is. Did you think it was easy? There are hundreds, probably thousands even, of factors and preperation that go into acting. And if you want to actually be a good one, even more.

[@mayaradepaulam]

It requires LOTS of study to be a good actor.

[@josepablomartinez-rendon9484]

I’m literally persuing a theatre arts degree and, let me tell you, yes it motherf**king is.

[@matrixphijr]

@@jay_binger The phrase "much harder than I ever thought" does not ever imply anything is easy.

[@grahamvandyke]

Jamie Foxx playing Ray Charles was mind blowing. He REALLY did Ray Charles justice in the movie. I've heard he's up for the role of Mike Tyson, and I think he's the perfect actor to do it.

[@dcquence]

Its too bad Ray didnt live long enough to see the movie.

[@motherdaughter17]

@@dcquence he got to sit thru the first edit of the movie 😊

[@hivnegativ8465]

@@dcquence 😂

[@matthiascerebri3315]

Not in the case of Electro, but therefore the more with Django!

[@chadhero37]

I'm pretty sure he use to do the imitation as a joke, to be funny. Then, he got paid to do a serious imitation

[@blxk_child]

That back and forth with Will Smith and Mohammed Ali was pure gold

[@Merdicano]

Huge gold, like pure karat gold

[@dackieaollivierre3800]

24 karat gold lol neat

[@alexanderrobins7497]

Gold? His impression was pure platinum.

[@rose_thorn30]

@@Merdicano tuiitttioiuiuiutuiiuu to i have yto yito tto for tufor tu to the the world of that you you have a great time and to and your family are are always always here and we all have to get an an old man who knows if i can get him

[@rose_thorn30]

@@Merdicano iiiirriiii r re to get ran my way to the ihouse tiii to see ty to get an reiterate rrrriroreo to ire in

[@ShirleyTSaint]

This dude is the Bob Ross of dialects, lol. Soothing.

[@semonerobinson8903]

Yes

[@bluegenes801]

"And let's add a happy little diphthong right in there. It's your world."

[@nauyavidahl8825]

Shirley Toussaint I watched this as I was falling asleep, can confirm that this is in fact so soothing.

[@elonmush4793]

love this guy! please more :)

[@doodlebug7250]

Right?? Like I can't stop coming back and watching these videos, not only are they fascinating but they're also super relaxing

[@TheShojsauce]

Give this guy a tv show. I'd watch it every week.

[@leonardopandeli1764]

Every episode would be analyzing, how to do an accent, and how to make a famous impersination

[@raviolimaster]

@@leonardopandeli1764 or it would be Tosh.o

[@zaxmom2006]

Me too!

[@cookiepie01]

Yes absolutely!

[@xXxThelegend27xXx]

andy hjortshoj no kidding, me too!

[@elysseussy]

to be fair i'm not surprised jesse eisenberg didn't go for the voice, it must have been difficult to simulate a robot pretending to be human

[@cheesy2440]

It’s hard enough for him to play not Jesse eisenberg

[@sleepykat9]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@kevinagee4364]

a human pretending to be a robot pretending to be a human

[@fuzzydunlop1753]

Aw snap

[@jennymattback3780]

Not even funny, Zucherberg is not a goddamned robot. Stop with the dumb conspiracies. Everyone knows he's a Lizard. Get your facts straight.

[@Mandyn8868]

This man could probably convince me i'm doing my own accent wrong

[@latonyanewsome0]

😂

[@pu-FP]

Me being aussie and havingborderline no aussie accent... i feel that😂

[@Chris-ut6eq]

You are! ;-p

[@JC_Cali]

But the shade of the announcer introducing this guy "He's really into linguistics" 😂

[@SurgeryIsWoke]

I think it might be him lol

[@beachhum]

It’s himself. Makes it funnier!

[@bguzewi0]

John Wayne did a spot on John Wayne accent in that Genghis Khan performance.

[@plushpuppy32]

bguzewi0 this is the best comment

[@LaPoubelle42]

and here we have john wayne playing john wayne as genghis khan

[@devinthierault]

Ford LaBoube alright pilgrim, bring over that Tatar woman

[@saheliumd7182]

plushpuppy32 I second this comment

[@cypher787]

best khan performance ever

[@scottdowney4103]

This guy is great. He is the perfect example of what so many great teachers do - he loves his subject, wants to know as much about it as possible, and wants other people to love it too. Great stuff.

[@swingin.n]

scott downey well put :)

[@KimBlaQue]

Yes!

[@jopabr24]

Tell me more, accent daddy.

[@nikiforos1750]

pronunciation papi

[@__elgamoth__]

*dialect daddy

[@tink6225]

accent alpha

[@Dontstalkme378]

modulation macho

[@notabestfriend432]

*Jesus has left the chat*

[@jgw5491]

Did you notice that both Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe spoke with that breathy little girl quality? I think it was a fifties affectation and obviously a quality JFK liked in his women.

[@ririschannelx]

that’s kinda creepy

[@_yellow]

I don't think being attracted to it is creepy. But when you actively go after a certian thing, it becomes creepy.

[@private755]

Makes sense to be a 50s affectation since it was admirable/desirable in the context of the time for women to be demure and more kitten-like than powerful or intimidating

[@andrewh.4186]

Yes, but they weren't Nearly as breathy and girly as the people acting them. It was way overdone, and came across way more coy and less upper-class confident.

[@hannahwebster5606]

watch disney films and compare Snow White's voice to Belle or Mulan or more recent films.

[@_roseanevieira]

Acting convincingly is harder than we imagine.

[@randyking3057]

OMG YES!

[@keonihunter1635]

Rose Vlogs good acting**

[@AlchemistOfNirnroot]

@@keonihunter1635 even bad acting is hard though. I mean it's nerve racking by nature, perhaps it's deserving of more consideration than a hard "no".

[@keonihunter1635]

AlchemistOfNirnroot bad acting is not hard... anyone can be bad at anything

[@grahamvandyke]

@@keonihunter1635 This is just too good. I'm sitting here giggling at this comment.

[@msjkramey]

I want this guy to analyze how I speak and what my vocal posture is and how I enunciate

[@etamika]

Me too! I've been told I have an English accent over my New York one, even though I only ever lived in Harlem.

[@kamikoblalark3896]

I was just saying this to my mom - I wonder how he, or any other linguistic expert, would analyze and interpret how I speak. Would be very interesting to hear what they would have to say about it.

[@lvl4k225]

Gosh, haven't you little to worry about.

[@whatthefudgedud]

you're not relevant bud.. no offense

[@lvl4k225]

iamsexyandyouknowit and thats the way I like it uh-huh uh-huh. Also, you said that because it's what you think about daily. Your name gives it away too. You seek attention and arent getting it. You're probably a good person too.

[@starshine6472]

I love how respectful and diplomatic Erik was in pointing out areas where actors did not match certain accent patterns of the individuals they were portraying.

[@alrightyru]

Common Australian Naomi Watts trying on cultured English Diana was a travesty!

[@TeatroGrotesco]

I noticed the point he made, 'If I were to nit pick..."

[@solongfairwellkim]

I don't know why, but when ever this man's face is lit up by approval, I become really proud of that act-person.

[@djordan22]

Act-person? Why not just say actor. It's not gender specific.

[@solongfairwellkim]

+djordan22 cuz I'm foreiger! 쪼다얌!ㅋㅋㅋ just do your thing man. don't waste your last minute net-neutrality freedom!

[@toffletorte]

no no Every actor and actress is now going to be called an "act-person." I love this.

[@uniqueLeo08]

I feel the same way!!!

[@uniqueLeo08]

Skyler Gallagher being PC I see. This person meant act - person like they said. If you had read English is not their first language. And an actor is in fact a person who acts so act-person it is.

[@NightshadeGoddess]

"Erik is still a dialect coach who can't stop talking about linguistics" 😂 off to a great start

[@sajjadurrafat8360]

🤣🤣

[@lauramcnally3452]

I love how he smiles when they're doing a good job

[@AAO-92]

Even I feel a sense of accomplishment and I have nothing to do with it.

[@laiqa_2203]

Laura McNally Especially the Gandhi one. Oh my

[@ncooty]

I bet he and his spouse have interesting arguments about tone of voice. :) A: Don't use that tone with me! B: What tone?! A: Ohhhhh, don't get me started!

[@JaxonForPresident]

Which tone would you like?

[@David-se5ph]

😎😎😎😎

[@jasminejoseph7858]

When homeboy gives that smile and tilts his head, you know the accent is legit.

[@vianeyboruel504]

Jasmine Joseph yes

[@brookenjonas]

YASSS

[@sizzling_rozes]

Ashton kutcher playing Steve Jobs just sounds like Ashton Kutcher playing Micheal Kelso which just sounds like Ashton Kutcher playing Ashton Kutcher

[@ericawilliams8164]

Cereal_Quilla I was laughing at the way he pronounced "ay-uh-pull" the same way Kelso always pronounced "Jay-uh-kee."

[@SurgeryIsWoke]

Honestly his performance is decent though

[@WinedandDined27]

That’s called not being a good actor

[@fuzzydunlop1753]

Yeah kutcher couldn't act his way out of a wet paper bag.

[@aymanahmed2729]

TBH, I don't know how Ashton Kutcher ended up as an actor.

[@lulujdy]

It's like Muhammad Ali was singing every time he spoke. Soo much rhythm and meter in his voice, it's amazing

[@Prologue18]

lulujdy one hundred percent.

[@incorrectlypolitical9525]

He was the first rapper

[@craigusselman546]

His voice was so unique Will did a awesome job.

[@rimun5235]

Same with Martin Luther King.

[@eyesofthecervino3366]

Do you suppose it's connected to his ability to fight? Like, maybe there's this deeper sense of timing and rhythm that he's in touch with and tapping into. . . .

[@jessieeee]

I NEED Erik's analysis of Lady Gaga portraying Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci! She sounds a bit off to me, but some people are praising the accent, I need this guy's insight in this 😂

[@carolinacuello7853]

I only saw the trailer but I agree with you. She seems to be doing the same that J Law did in Red Sparrow.

[@Knx3k]

🤔🤔

[@ThatWeirdoRightThere]

Yeah I think Gaga puts too much stress into her accent and she doesn’t have the proper inflections at the end of her words like Patrizia did. But that’s probably mostly due to Gaga not being a native Italian speaker

[@starlight.2467]

She's doing more of an Italian - American than actual Italian..... At least in my opinion

[@KristinHall0918]

This and an updated video of Princess Di compared to The Crown!

[@wkrk12]

This is some quality damn content here. 30 minutes, no annoying nonsense, interesting subject matter, and an engaging and likable host.

[@xavierreichel8254]

Exactly. I love this guy.

[@angelas349]

Straight UP!

[@Merdicano]

Agreed

[@MissNebulosity]

"Who the f**k let this happen?!" I laugh so hard every time.

[@fuzzydunlop1753]

Yeah that was pretty good.

[@Jessi-fh9bz]

I don't get it?

[@itpaynesme]

Jessi 3005 look up who Genghis Khan is on google if you don’t know and then consider how American/westernised his character in the movie is.. Amongst many other things.

[@dathunderman4]

It’s interesting that both times it has happened for white people playing asian characters. Hollywood definitely loves to whitewash asian storylines and characters for some reason

[@shawn4664]

WE DEMAND MORE ERIK SINGER

[@SurgeryIsWoke]

Facts

[@Snubrevolver]

YES give the other guy the boot

[@clayfoster8234]

Being old enough to remember Julia Childs, Meryl Streep’s performance was so incredibly spot on it made you almost want to laugh it was so uncanny.

[@SMATF5]

"Hey there, partner!" -Genghis Khan

[@nspector]

Hahahahahaha

[@calebgamble4132]

Farewhell tartur wooman

[@tarajh]

🤦🏽‍♀️

[@David-se5ph]

🤦🏾‍♂️ as in the words of the expert, “Who the f*ck would let this happen?”

[@marcziegenhain8420]

@@David-se5ph Me

[@stevenpelleriti09]

I think Marshall Mathers did a really really good job nailing Eminem's voice in 8 Mile, definitely deserves some recognition

[@ruthrichardson9717]

stevenpelleriti09 I see what you did there xD

[@AlanaBananaCanada]

Mom's spaghetti

[@stevenhaskell9025]

stevenpelleriti09 hey.... cool first name.

[@clockworkgirl7387]

stevenpelleriti09 Wait, you mean he wasn't actually going for Slim Shady?

[@goodhumourwagon]

The fact that he was lauded for an excellent " acting performance " was absurd. Like most talentless Hip-hop artists who try to transition into acting- they essentially play themselves.

[@jay7tennis]

Erik Singer is awesome yes, but can we talk about the editor?! Those video clips that sorta respond is just amazing!

[@MorganKing95]

Indeed. I know it's just edited that way of course, but they fit in so well and "respond" so well like you say that it feels like Erik is on Skype with them or something

[@ilicarriedoll2843]

glad to know I'm not the only one noticed it XD

[@eartherinfire]

Really helps tie the room together.

[@john8606]

True. Also, the pace of the video is perfect. Not to fast, not to slow.

[@john8606]

@@lucyk9553 I like the word 'funnely' though...

[@josephhalevy6782]

This man is a gold mine for Wired. He has the charm to move ten million viewers to watch to the very end of each video. Part of it is how fascinating this whole topic is. Part of it is his beautiful accent. Part of it is the way he looks, admit it. To top it all off, he now has a beard and looks a thousand times better.

[@lauraswearingen-steadwell787]

Absolutely. Sapiosexual eye/ear candy, for days.

[@p4cks]

I admire J-Lo. making so much money being distinctly average in everything you do is seriously impressive

[@TooLittleInfo]

Yeah, honestly that is pretty boss.

[@G-y_m]

Below average

[@alexangel4758]

How she’s the face of the Latina community is baffling

[@BigTuna-xs8ic]

Lol and she can't sing. Her dancing is amazing though.

[@c.w.8200]

Average??? She's working insanely hard, the discipline you need to maintain your body like that at her age??? The woman is, just like Madonna, a hard worker and she has the guts to go for it. That's what carries most successful men but a woman needs much much more to deserve admiration? Double standards.

[@ChristynaElaine]

Natalie Portman creeped me out 💀 gotta give her her props

[@nikksterr0902]

Speaking of Fassbender, can we talk about how he does that high class British accent in inglorious basterds and then spoke in German with the same inflection? Loved it.

[@LilLilac]

What’s the time stamp?

[@rome8180]

Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin is one of the best performances I've ever seen. The movie itself is fantastic, too.

[@dewbert5984]

This is one of my favorite series on Wired, I can say that I've never clicked faster for a video on this channel.

[@KTK44]

On Wired? More like on KZbin!

[@tare_]

I hope this becomes a regular series until they run out of movie accents to cover.

[@gwalavision]

just was about to write the same comment

[@cpuassassin1422]

Ya these are awesome I always feel smarter listening to Erik.

[@dozer11]

Agreed! This info the amazing. I wish I understood accents better, but this is helping me so much!

[@ianbent0n]

Whoever edited this did a great job.

[@meepmeepimajeep]

Ian Benton agreed

[@bushidobell1284]

I was waiting for someone to say it.

[@ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid]

Thanks! :)

[@mikal6217]

As a French person who became fluent in English only in my 20s, I realized the importance of original voice acting in actors' performances, and how Dubbing movies (which is extremely common in France) is litterally destroying 50% of the actor's efforts when they impersonate historical figures. It's remarkable, really. I love languages

[@hexyko4850]

Props to you. I am Brazilian and started learning English as a young child, but it's still not as good as I would like it to be I want to be more eloquent in both my native language and English, and to do that I need to have a big vocabulary and use less slang. I will be 22 this year. Learning a language is a lifelong process. Here we have excellent voice actors, but they don't really put an effort with accents except in rare cases. I like how they change the jokes and puns so they make more sense to us. That being said, if you're watching a biopic, chances are you will use subtitles and listen to the original audio. I prefer to watch cartoons dubbed, the rest I'll use subtitles. I'll only watch dubbed films if it's something unimportant, like a cheap comedy.

[@BBaaaaa]

@@hexyko4850 As a fellow brazilian, agreed! Great tips :) That's how I studied to become fluent in english, btw, good luck on your journey

[@maja194]

I feel that! I’m German, and dubbing is huge here as well. There is really a lot that’s lost on us, whether it’s idiolects or accents in general, but it does make the movies more accessible…

[@marianmeletlidiscrap]

Here (Greece) dubbing is not really as widespread as it is in a lot of other European countries. Generally, anything that is aimed towards children (or even all ages sometimes) is dubbed, and anything that is aimed towards adults is just subbed. Of course, there are exceptions to this (for example, the TV series Gotham has a Greek dub available)

[@slome815]

@@marianmeletlidiscrap It all depends on population. Here in Belgium (flanders), and the netherlands, subtitles are the norm for everything except children TV and movies. The dutch speaking population is just too small for dubs. I'm thankfull for this, it really has made me used to watching stuff in the original language, and very few dubs are well done anyway. Especially in TV interviews dubbing really bothers me, I think that when it's the news, subs should really be the norm everywhere. It does make it weird for many of us to see the adverse reaction many people have to subtitles, we're all just so used to it.

[@emilyt6116]

Natalie Portman's Jackie Kennedy though! Holy!

[@person-iw8qj]

"erik is still a dialect coach, who cannot stop talking about linguistics"

[@TheeKittyPie]

duck quack

[@-L.S]

quek

[@applesnapple5515]

0:20 - Jamie Foxx (Ray Charles) 1:01 - Natalie Portman (Jackie Kennedy) 2:22 - Forest Whitaker (Idi Amin) 3:30 - Jamal Woolard (The Notorious B.I.G.) 5:13 - Ben Kingsley (Ghandi) 6:26 - Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs) 7:26 - Will Smith (Muhammad Ali) 8:30 - Sean Penn (Harvey Milk) 9:19 - Alec Baldwin (Donald Trump) 10:23 - Joaquin Phoenix (Johnny Cash) 11:36 - John Wayne (Genghis Khan) 11:53 - Meryl Streep (Julia Childs) 12:52 - Naomi Watts (Princess Diana) 13:49 - Denzel Washington (Malcolm X) 14:26 - Cate Blanchett (Bob Dylan) 15:22 - Jennifer Lopez (Selena) 16:11 - Jesse Eisenberg (Mark Zuckerberg) 17:15 - Ewan McGregor (Alec Guinness) 18:12 - Daniel Day-Lewis (Abraham Lincoln) 19:12 - Michelle Williams (Marilyn Monroe) 20:08 - Johnny Depp (Whitey Bulger) 21:44 - Angela Bassett (Tina Turner) 22:45 - Kevin Spacey (Christopher Walken) 23:29 - Cuba Gooding, Jr. (O.J. Simpson) 24:55 - Diana Ross (Billie Holliday) 25:52 - Steve Carell (John DuPont) 26:52 - Don Cheadle (Miles Davis) 27:57 - Will Ferrell (Harry Caray)

[@IceFrosti]

Apple Snapple thx bro

[@meisvictor6035]

Apple Snapple thank you man

[@funtime1654]

*Gandhi

[@philipthomey7884]

yes so wow tho. is our host a genius. Seems so. Accent analysis

[@snyfalcryo524]

This needs to go up

[@tristanmoller9498]

This guy has such a developed sense of hearing, I can’t hear half the differences

[@AlanaBananaCanada]

Tristan Möller Thats because english is not your first language

[@frankm.2850]

I'm a native speaker and I couldn't pick up on a couple of these. The wh sound doesn't sound any different to me for example

[@AlanaBananaCanada]

Frank Martin Perhaps u need a hearing aid, because everyone can tell the diff when people annunciate the H in what when where why and white

[@carolynegeng9675]

Alana BananaCanada It is nuanced to some, more apparent to others. It doesn't mean we have hearing loss or don't speak English well.

[@JFlukejr]

What are you talking about he was just saying cool whistle

[@clemcadiddlehopper5706]

Erik’s date - “So what do you do for fun?” Erik - “Have you ever heard of tooth fronting?

[@deus_ex_machina_]

I must say the editing in these videos really helps make it entertaining.

[@notatruck2640]

Deus Ex Machina abortion-bortion-bortion

[@sarazorz]

Erik Singer needs to do more KZbin videos. I LOVE his analyses.

[@koamaru613]

Analysi

[@TheUltimate1337ful]

for your next vid, some ideas: Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking Tom Hanks as Walt Disney RDJ as Charlie Chaplin Gary Oldman as Beethoven, Sid Vicious and Winston Churchill The cast of The Crown (2016) Jared Harris as Valery Legasov Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury Taron Egerton as Elton John Geoffrey Rush as Albert Einstein Antonio Banderas as Pablo Picasso James Franco as Tommy Wiseau

[@abgomez5755]

TheUltimate1337ful Andre 3000 as Jimi Hendrix

[@megacrazyscience1239]

Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers

[@anniebunny722]

Just all of Tom Hanks' portrayals of real people Walt Disney, Fred Rogers, Captain Richard Phillips, Sully Sullenberger

[@cherrycoke3665]

Don’t think Taron Egerton really went for the exact voice and accent He did a great job though :)

[@brookenjonas]

Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers Joey King as Gypsy Rose Blanchard

[@skzpop]

so i just found out that i make my s sounds with my tongue tip up when i'm talking in german (my native language) but with my tongue tip down when talking in english and i don't even know why i'm so excited about this

[@steadfast101]

minholy I don’t either but I thought that was really interesting

[@amia560]

ooo!! i tried that in swedish and korean and my tongue tip is always down, like it is in english. it might be because swedish and korean are my second and third languages respectively, but it's still something interesting.

[@lilicorrea8515]

You made me try it and I do tongue tip up in English and down in spanish!

[@ΜπέττυΠαπανικολάου]

The opposite is true for me

[@amandavanderlaan8863]

Up in Dutch, up in English for me.

[@Agos226]

Can't even tell the difference between Denzel's voice and Malcom X's at 13:50... absolutely brilliant

[@JohnLick96]

He doesn't sound that much like him. He just does a good impression.

[@deus_ex_machina_]

Ben Roley I can tell. But only because of the audio quality.

[@IgiWhiteman]

Jesse Eisenberg plays Jesse Eisenberg in every role he does, not sure if anyone noticed yet. It´s that "akward guy", quick speech (very repetative pattern and vocal intonation), weird eye contact........come to think of it, I don´t think we´ve ever seen him actually act.

[@AbuOsama29]

Actually what made him the worst Lex Luthor ever

[@joeyjojoshabadoo2508]

Yes, he is pretty much evil Michael Cera

[@thomascholley2200]

He sounds like woody Allen in everything

[@estebanb7166]

Exactly. He doesn't act. He reads aloud.

[@fangfyre3800]

The same could be said for John Wayne....John Wayne only played John Wayne. Only the context of the movie changed.

[@mivowatcher]

I can't believe I just watched this 30min video and was entertained the *entire* *fucking* *time*

[@confounded_feline]

- "Things you'll only hear in the 2010's"

[@varolussalsanclar1163]

*laughs in opera*

[@martin2826]

HAhaha dat attention span, though.

[@RNCHFND]

Keena Rdk It's a new subject every new minute (31 actors and a 29 minute video), and there's a lot of cuts zooming in and out of the expert guy. It's a long video made for short attention spans people like me

[@elizabethcrossley6853]

Keena Rdk same.

[@LilyGrace95]

As an actor (or trying to be anyway), I find this stuff invaluable. Dunno about anyone else, but I find it fascinating how certain inflections and cadences can make up so much of a personality, and be so unique to each person.

[@sr7129]

Same here. Go us 😂😂😂

[@zimtastic1171]

Best of luck in your future endeavors! Eta: didn't realize this comment was so old. My bad. Point still stands, though 😊

[@Ebiru2387]

Lol i love how he called out the Selena performance. That movie would have been better if J Lo didn't insert 50% of herself while trying to play Selena.

[@Leahh823]

She has a hard time not showboating. It’s part of the reason I don’t enjoy her that much as an actress. She can’t seem to strip herself down.

[@nisha5669]

It’s interesting to see people wanna criticize it now because a lot of fans and even Selena’s own family feel that jlo acting wasfairly accurately. I think the movie was perfectly phenomenal and especially if you take a good look at the series they just did on Netflix I bet you’re gonna think the movie is better to

[@ghostface1500]

@@nisha5669 her performance was never great i still enjoy the movie

[@HAL-st4ll]

@@Leahh823 watch Hustlers then. She strips herself down there

[@Leahh823]

@@HAL-st4ll haha 😂

[@octo448]

I realized what really stands out to me about Erik as a coach- when he describes how something is created in terms of oral posture or how it should sound, I can actually do it and test it out to see what he's saying. I pretty much always do, and it usually works! I don't think I've ever had that while listening to other language experts, even if they're also knowledgeable.

[@morganseppy5180]

Yes, his charm is breaking down very technical information into something anyone can understand. Shows sublime mastery.

[@devidmoore6141]

Hello dear friend

[@91_C4_FL]

Eric should break down all of Tom Hank's portrayals of real people.

[@tbeller80]

@Black Ninja in that case, how well did Hanks do an Alabama accent?

[@tommyhallum2747]

I hear people say (southern accent) a lot but just like any other region of the country, for the most part every southern state has its own distinct sound.

[@cherrycoke3665]

Yea that are quite a lot of people

[@iamatn3317]

I remember watching Ray in theaters and completely forgot he was in the movie until the very end when he met his mother again in that dream. Amazing acting, well deserved Oscar.

[@minamina99]

I could listen to Erik explain all the little details aaaaalll day. This is so fascinating!

[@zoekirk1848]

I could just listen to him talk all day tbh

[@Nimesay1]

same.

[@abuzaffarmohammed9561]

Mina Mina Now Girls just Calm down....

[@lillycandyrose]

I really like Jesse Eisenberg, but let's be real. Jesse plays Jesse in every role.

[@lukaz3336]

He gave an amazing performance in the Social Network tho (everyone did) even if it wasn't accurate.

[@kylekondit9709]

@@lukaz3336 it was accurate in its character drama.

[@lukaz3336]

@@kylekondit9709 Not really.

[@lukaz3336]

@@kylekondit9709 He was portraying Mark Zuckerberg and he isn't really anything like that.

[@mwa1254]

I can’t help it but he is one of those actors I just don’t like. I know he is talented, and I thoroughly enjoyed his performance in Cafe Society, but perhaps it’s what you say, seems to play himself. Much like how many soap stars in the UK are actors where a lot generally play themselves.

[@kaybee2199]

Once the Bohemian Rhapsody movie is released in November, you should analyze the cast. I'd love to see a video on that.

[@grey7040]

Erik Singer's videos may be my favorite out of everything on Wired. He's engaging, he talks about things in a technical but accessible way to someone who doesn't have the foundational knowledge he has, and he engages with the media being shown very well.

[@kamipassmore867]

Of course Streep is perfect. She studied at the Yale’s school of voice. She’s amazinggg

[@ninedaysjane2466]

In her first big role at Yale, she didn't speak at all. She just had such presence, she blew everyone away.

[@JohnDoe-dj3lw]

you're talking about one of the best actresses of all time ;)

[@finnfeaver1196]

Meryl Streep sucks

[@alexisstenella8482]

She did so well in Julie and Julia! Because of her it’s my favourite movie

[@GameVaultGuides]

I love the fact that you guys synchronize the character dialogue into conversation with Singer's critique.

[@kawaiifluff2025]

looking forward to what you think of Rami maleks accent as Freddie mercury!

[@snorkmimimimimi]

i was just thinking the same thing!

[@nicoleonlysometimes824]

kawaiifluff me too I was thinking that I’m watching the movie today

[@Jolovideos123]

agree

[@DY142]

It's pretty much off, I think

[@SuniKayLou]

And not even just Rami's accent interpretation, but the other three band members as well.

[@tbeller80]

I really liked in this episode how he didn't just go through the academic part discussing the language, but could actually do some of it himself. You know your material sir.

[@SensualWhirl]

Ben Kingsley’s father was of Gujarati extraction, and so was Gandhi. Kingsley’s family was part of the Indian diaspora in East and South Africa at the time of British colonialism, and so was Gandhi. That might help to explain why he was so good at emulating his accent and affectations. (Gandhi was educated in Britain, and as a lawyer in South Africa it would likely have benefitted to speak more like an Englishman, and more Indian when he was in India etc.)

[@abhisheksharma-sb3er]

Listen @5:39 no way Gandhi would have sound like that?

[@hunmiliengtipi9218]

@@abhisheksharma-sb3er wow, that sounds really Eh. Even though, not a Gujurati, for me it's way off.

[@wierdalien1]

@@abhisheksharma-sb3er did you listen to the recording of Gandhi?

[@abhisheksharma-sb3er]

@@wierdalien1 what do u think ?

[@wierdalien1]

@@abhisheksharma-sb3er honestly. No.

[@ozzy3684]

his intelligence makes him so attractive this is not up for debate

[@ilovebrittanator]

he's already attractive as it is so this is like a bonus

[@The1nvisibleJeevas]

I haven't yet seen an unattractive linguist tbh. Just look at the two linguistic juggernauts, Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker (both are old men now, but in their prime they looked gooood)

[@ilovebrittanator]

you riiiight

[@age-ben4910]

He reminds me of comedian Daniel Tosh...idk why tho?

[@Tryonst704]

@@age-ben4910 spot on

[@TallicaMan1986]

plot twist. He isn't paused when the clips play, he just stops and does tableu.

[@OHYS]

Hehe this made me laugh

[@luxtp]

9:46

[@leonkallstrom2986]

TallicaMan1986 o

[@mrflibble1259]

17:01 impressive

[@mennograafmans1595]

@ArtisticGems _ The thing with Trump gave it away for me.

[@iknowCris]

I would love to see a video like this for the upcoming movie "The Disaster artist" James Franco vs Tommy Wiseau. That would be awesome

[@adrenalinevan]

I'd like to see him try and guess just what the hell Tommy Wiseau's accent is using his amazing super knowledge powers.

[@adamsapa2452]

Tsharli Foster definitely Polish. He sounds like every Polish-born American/Canadian family member I've ever known

[@adrenalinevan]

Adam Sapa well then maybe he can just go into detail about all of his mannerisms. Like a video explaining how to do the perfect Tommy Wiseau impression

[@adrenalinevan]

I'd just really like for him to do something Wiseau related

[@PONYBOYonline]

Oh hi mark

[@saxonedmonds1478]

Kevin Spacey threatening to pull down peoples underwear hasn't aged very well.

[@chrisgarrison1503]

Ha lmao I think I know what your gettin at

[@sammygirl6910]

Yeah, that was pretty yuck.

[@cr5990]

r/agedlikemilk

[@Splooj69]

LOL

[@GoddessLuna23]

Witty joke...lol!

[@abbyshoenfelt6413]

i never thought about the Ewan Mcgregor and Alec Guinness thing but now that it was pointed out it’s actually pretty crazy how much Ewan sounded like him

[@aqacefan]

iirc Ewan once said in an interview that his Alec Guinness was "like a bad John Lennon impression"... but it's a spot-on Alec Guinness ;)

[@RamsesKZ]

When he was mentioning Ewan and Alec there I thought he would go for De Niro and Brando later on. Really wish he did.

[@bubbly990]

And I love how he just WHIPS out an Alec Guinness impression in a second!

[@Room-xi6nb]

I did hate it, at first. But then realized his Alec impression was spot on!

[@tyronenewsom3047]

Thinking the same thing. To play do that with one of the most iconic characters ever played by one of the greatest actors ever is no easy feat.

[@amanda-241]

And at 4:35 I'm sitting alone on my couch just hissing "sss ssssss" to myself. Now im weird lol

[@Joe_Parmesan]

I've been trying at least a third of these accents. We're both weirdos 😁

[@amanda-241]

For sure lol

[@eveitsnotthatserious1677]

🙋🏽‍♀️ same

[@nolaray1062]

Ive been trying the last 15 minutes to say it with front of tongue up and can’t 🤣

[@devidmoore6141]

Hello Amanda

[@thebreakfastmenu]

I never realized how pleasant Princess Diana's voice was

[@DynamicDurge]

She seemed like a pleasant person as well... rest in peace

[@waterworks8353]

Ok but this guy is super hot. His intelligence and passion is super attractive. I'll show myself out.

[@thegamingguys200]

Nice guy

[@kalebpeterson9375]

water works I guess idk what gender you are nvm

[@joshspeed7794]

It doesn't matter what gender they are, Erik is daddy..

[@Jncarter06]

I'll show myself in.

[@mthefangirl4956]

He can show himself in

[@roddydykes7053]

Jackie Kennedy’s voice sounds creepy in this context on KZbin, but I just remembered nice friend’s mom’s having very similar speaking patterns when I was a kid, very delicate and polite.

[@leow3696]

There are certain manners of speech that just fall out of style and/or usage after a certain period of time. Not accents - just ways of speaking that, in a modern context, would sound odd. A good example is the queen of England. She’s toned it down a lot in the last two or three decades, but in old clips of her, her speech sounds utterly bizarre.

[@r.fairlie7186]

Leo W - I remember thinking the same way about her sister, Princess Margaret. I haven’t seen any footage of her speaking in her later years but her younger voice was unattractive.

[@ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid]

@@leow3696 A big part of it is the decline of the "mid-Atlantic accent", which dominated many populated areas of the US - especially "upper class" groups - and manifested itself heavily in movies and TV of the same era.

[@IamRa-18]

Jamie foxx is an underrated actor, pretty impressive to be able to do that with your mouth the entire time incorporating it with the whole movements

[@maggiekarabel123]

He also had his eyelids glued shut which is a form of torture that I can’t even imagine. He just killed it, like Erik says it’s so fully integrated into his whole personality.

[@flatplant]

Cuba's version of OJ sounded emotional, OJ himself sounded like a sociopath.

[@vianeyboruel504]

Uncle Ben so true

[@mdgsk824]

It's one thing to make an artistic choice for a fictional character but in a biographical story it's deliberate misrepresentation. He actually portrait OJs character in a "better" light even though the other actors went for a accurate representaion of their roles. Makes no sense

[@DanielAvelan]

Let's assume for a second that he is innocent: the whole thing would be nightmarish at first, but don't you think that after a while the guy would be really tired and annoyed of being in jail, having the press climbing up his ass, constant rehearsals with his layers and attending several hours long court proccedings and interviews? I know I would have killed ten people just to have some peace if had to go through half of that shit.

[@Jennyfisch]

True. He is a great actor, but he can't play cold, at least I haven't seen that of him yet.

[@MA-lx8op]

i don't think cuba is the best actor out there. he plays every character the same.

[@mgk2020]

I'd love to have him break down my accent.

[@oneblacksun]

Does he have an online thing? You pay him to analyse your voice, something like that? That'd be nice.

[@inesbarbosa8517]

Don’t we all?

[@Zannypants666]

As someone who grew up in NY, Boston, and Texas, I would love for him to too

[@BigTuna-xs8ic]

@@Zannypants666 yikes now THATS an accent

[@basicradical3581]

Same bruh, my accent alternates between British, Nigerian and American apparently.

[@thoughtstorms_keith]

Much, much, much, MUCH, much more of this. Please. More Erik Singer, more idiolects, accents, i want a master class (many of them) about how to sound certain ways, and what things to focus on to "nail" someone's sound. Great humour, especially in the editing of this video. Much.

[@octaviancaesarhibernicus4447]

Keith Hale pity you don't focus on shutting up.

[@greysunshine]

The Selena situation is a peculiar one. The family wanted to get this done as soon as possible. The movie is mostly highlights of her life through a rose-colored filter. Thousands of young women who really resembled Selena auditioned for the role. Jeniffer Lopez was cast based on being on her experience as an actress-albeit limited at the time, and her ability to dance. She looks nothing like Selena, but I shudder to think how much worse it would have been had a complete unknown been cast in her stead.

[@WhiteBloggerBlackSpecs]

But then again, casting someone who didn't have such a strong New York drawl and closer to TexMex could have helped

[@MarkFonts]

*Erik Singer’s* impression of Alec Guinness at 17:44 is worth seeing this video on its own. His insight is great and he is personally talented.

[@kenabi]

eisenberg only plays eisenberg. oh sure, the characters may be 'different', but its eisenberg. much like cera only plays cera, for the most part.

[@bridgetwasko4129]

I thought of Michael Cera immediately!!!

[@TheBeastBandit]

I feel like you could stare into this man’s eyes during a date and listen to him talk dialect and linguistics at you until you say, “I love you” to him by mistake.

[@ella5545]

Zetsubou Junko "at you" i'm dying

[@YvieT81]

Meryl must have had a blast playing this role! Being able to be so over the top because the real person was actually like that!

[@misplacedgirl]

I'm honestly in love with this guy.

[@cbakker99]

As am I

[@dashacasciero5371]

Saaame, he's both aesthetically pleasing and intellectually brilliant. That's a double threat of attractiveness.

[@raven4140]

SIMP

[@Sepear305]

Y'all thirsty

[@roseytano6385]

Sepear n

[@faejackson2431]

did you expect Meryl Streep to do anything less than nail Julia Child’s accent??

[@jennhoff03]

Yes, Meryl was AMAZING! I watched several clips of Julia Child right afterwards and was just in awe of how much Meryl sounded like her. She's amazing.

[@mgk2020]

No

[@private755]

Cyberdemon Mike a stereotype of one person? If you watch any clips of Julia Child you can see Meryl Streep nailed it without exaggerating

[@laurahubbard6906]

I'd like to have seen Dan Ayckroyd's Julia.

[@specialbudgies4217]

@Cyberdemon Mike I'm not an expert, I'm not even a native English speaker, and the first time I watched the film, though enjoyable, I was struck by her bizarre accent and mannerisms; thought it might have been a bit of an exaggeration. Now that I've seen the original clips though, she seems accurate in her portrayal. Idk if it was Julia child being Julia Child or if her mannerisms were fashionable at the time, but she did act like that, at least in front of the camera. On the other hand, I can't imagine what you mean about a stereotypical accent? Stereotypical of what?

[@Second_Trumpet]

As a Hispanic Linguistics major currently studying phonetics and phonology, this was really pleasing to watch. Great analysis Erik, and thanks WIRED for bringing him on for this Technique Critique series.

[@alexisscharrer4876]

This is exactly what I study! I love when linguistics is brought into the public eye; everyone realizes how interesting it really is!

[@JdTV79]

I wish they could do one with different Spanish-speaking accents. We'd have hours of material, beginning with the debated Colombian accent of Wagner Moura in "Narcos".

[@toby6418]

I just feel like Cheadle is a really under-appreciated actor in general

[@kutestsnails7331]

Natalie Portman must’ve studied so hard for that role. Wow.

[@liv97497]

@Anonymous haha ok, Oscar winner anonymous

[@Ezequielplatense]

It's incredible that the Academy prefered to gave the Oscar to Stone.

[@jamesfield1674]

So incredible

[@passbyicecube]

She's a scary person imo, every steps planned.

[@desiree9301]

Anonymous dude shut up lol you sound like she rejected you or something

[@sargbarz]

I like this guy

[@Nhaunderstood]

Sarg Barz who don't 😆

[@dlilwon]

Me too, i wanna climb him

[@sebastianelytron8450]

Kind of a roundabout way to come out of the closet but okay...

[@MelissaSamms]

Agreed! He's very engaging

[@NekoMouser]

I do too, but his ear is WAY more attuned to some of these more subtle sound differences than mine are. Good for him. Interesting to watch.

[@NIREV]

I love how he finally flexed his accent skills on the Obi Wan Kenobi part 😂

[@DanJanTube]

That Lincoln performance just blows me away every time I see it. I almost can't even watch the movie. Somehow DDL managed to reach "uncanny valley" territory while being (apparently) a real human being.

[@weezerfan999]

I would say him not sounding like or mimicking the speech patterns of OJ; made him come off more woeful. Like be sympathetic to me... where as OJ was more confident, or assertive.. when he was denying the accusations. Where as the actors portrayal made him seem more like the victim.

[@sunfloweralkh]

exaaaaaactly what I felt, it also made him sound like he was sorry and sad

[@frobie54]

Just as much in the facial expressions as well. The actor's face is crunched up into a pleading expression, whereas OJ was holding a strong poker face the whole time as he ticked off his talking points.

[@EverythingEverywable]

it would have been way better if they stayed true to OJs real character.

[@TheXochitl1995]

Definitely I think it speaks to the "mystery" of what the murders were. It makes the audience question if he was truly innocent or a really sociopathic actor.

[@arandombard1197]

Yeah I agree. The performance wouldn't have worked if he had copied the accent.

[@naryrokobs1847]

Next analysis ... Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury.

[@fedelrux_hsl]

Ryan Brooks I just thought the same as playing the video... Then I saw 2k17 in the description bar...

[@lex.e-948]

I THOUGHT THE SAME THING

[@LustrousProblems]

If he didn't do it spot on, he wouldn't receive an Oscar for that...

[@lucyschraff4893]

HELLO DARLING

[@mentak2593]

Is was a good performance but he lacked the charisma and good looks that Freddie had naturally.

[@CoreyReviews]

Natalie Portman deserved the Oscar for her performance in Jackie. Absolutely blew me away.

[@mcshivers6414]

Daniel Day-Lewis takes the cake for me. I am mesmerized by his acting. And Lincoln is no different. Incredible movie.

[@averino_]

Jessie Eisenberg can play the part of any genius and make them sound way cooler and smarter than the real person is

[@LAkadian]

Probably not Einstein

[@343guiltyreflex]

@@LAkadian I'd watch it

[@ApesMcCoy]

He doesn't sound cool at all.

[@hexyko4850]

Eisenberg is not that good of an actor

[@faithy8756]

the abe lincoln part really had me thinking that was actually lincoln because that is EXACTLY what i always imagined his voice would sound like

[@maxgregory3442]

Can we get a video explaining why no one can recreate a decent Australian accent?

[@eliseo5416]

Max Gregory Because that isn't true. Irish accents are the ones nobody can nail

[@maxgregory3442]

Eliseo Palacios have you got an example of a good Australian accent in a film?

[@michaelg437]

Max Gregory dev patel in lion

[@samara6189]

ahah as an australian i can totally agree. They always over-exaggerate the aussie accent.

[@Safiyahalishah]

As an Australian, I agree with Michael G. That was pretty damn good, I kept forgetting he wasn't actually raised in Australia. I know a couple of people who can nail Irish accents too.

[@zimtastic1171]

I'd argue Kristen Stewart is the best interpretation of Princess Diana I've ever seen done on film. Never been unable to recognize a famous person in a role until her performance. Simply stunning.

[@ultratankie]

11:36 I mean, it's not like you can prove that Ghengis Khan didn't sound exactly like John Wayne.

[@marye5335]

Obroa-skai lmfao truth

[@sarvin4471]

Obroa-skai lmao, I mean yeah, but there is no way he had a cowboy accent 😂😂

[@jaydensteventon4920]

John Wayne was completely overrated

[@prospect8245]

You actually can.

[@jackbarnett7095]

That'd be great